AFVs in France

[Neil_Baumgardner]

Here is some armor in Normandy not mentioned in Preserved Tanks in France (PITF) booklet:

In addition to the Sherman mentioned in PTIF, there is a Half-Track at the Airborne Forces Museum in St Mere Eglise



This was a new Sherman at the "Real Utah Beach" - where they were supposed to land...





Neil

[Neil_Baumgardner]

Pierre-Olivier, but at least you can see what Saumur has - even if it is a "mess"! For the APG Ordnance Museum there's stuff we can see & clearly know exists, stuff I have found references to that still exists "behind the fence," and vehicles that were in the collection at one time... Most of the later were scrapped in the 1950s, but a small number may exist "behind the fence."

Neil

[the_shadock]

Neil,

thanks for the HT at Ste-Mère and the Sherman at Utah, they are already listed. No, we just can't see the vast majority of the vehicles owned by Saumur, as they are stored in French Army buildings and the access is strictly limited. Some vehicles are not even stored at Saumur, but in the area.. somewhere. So I think I will never be able to have an exhaustive list of what they have.. and I suppose it is the case for all the major "state" or "national" tank museums.

P-O

[Neil_Baumgardner]

Make sure you dont have the Utahs mixed up. This is a different Sherman (75) from the one (76) at the Utah Beach where the landing took place & the museum is...

Neil

[the_shadock]

Neil,

Don't worry, I know the Leclerc Monument very well. I was there on June, 2006.

Here is what I have :

SAINT-MARTIN-DE-VARREVILLE, Utah Beach (50480)
2ème DB Monument
M3 Half-Track USA/FRA out
M4(75) Sherman USA/FRA out “Normandie�; Painted RN 420977
M8 Greyhound USA/FRA out

SAINTE-MÈRE-EGLISE (50480)
Airborne Museum
M3? Half-Track USA out
M4A1E8 Sherman Easy Eight USA/FRA out

The M4(75) "Normandie" is on my own website, note that it has quite rusted since you took your photos :

http://the.shadock.club.fr/sherman_varreville/index.html

P-O

[Neil_Baumgardner]

Okay, just checking...

I look forward to seeing your updated list!

Neil

[the_shadock]

I just sent you the list (not finished yet !!) on your hotmail address..

P-O

[Neil_Baumgardner]

Pierre-Olivier,
A few items from Antoine Misner's Chars et Blindes de France (http://www.chars-francais.net/index_a.htm) that doesnt seem to be in PTIF.

Saumur
LVT4 www.chars-francais.net...s/lvt4.htm

Saumur?
M32 ("Porthos" & "Ecouche")
www.chars-francais.net...es/m32.htm

Neil

[the_shadock]

Neil,

the LVT4 is on my list.
I checked several sites with photos of the Saumur Museum, and also the Saumur Museum website, which lists near to every tank exposed in the Bossut hall. However, the 2 M32 recovery don't appear on any photo, so maybe they are stored in a building without public access.

P-O

[Neil_Baumgardner]

Yeah, I dont know for a fact those two M32s are at Saumur - but the background looks like Saumur to me...

Neil

[Hanno_Spoelstra]

Sherman at Roscoff:

www.flickr.com/photos/...233205682/

Regards,
Hanno

[jtrowbridge5]

I'm going to saumur in April will have a good look around,the good thing about being old and English is if you are found somewhere you shouldn't be people look at you as if you are a bit thick[not speaking french especially] shrug their shoulders and move on
Dennis

[Roy_A_Lingle]

Hi Neil! Hi Folks!

- Neil_Baumgardner

M4A3E8 Sherman "Uskub"

Neil

Hey all you Sherman experts! Neil posted an alertness test (Neil, I supect a type-o on your part) for you and you all missed it.

For you none Sherman experts, Uskub has a cast hull (rounded top edges of the hull) which makes that vehicle a M4 "A1" E8 rather than a M4 "A3" E8.

Super set of photos, thanks Neil!
Sgt, scouts Out!

[Neil_Baumgardner]

Uh yeah... I hope it was a typo... I should have know that much at least...

Neil

[the_shadock]

Neil,

what about the publication of the France AFVs register?

I'm doin a holiday trip and I''ll be back on Monday with some serial numbers of some Shermans in France, however the SN are sometimes impossible to find. So please would you wait until next Monday if you intend to publish the list before?

Pierre-Olivier